Activity lists

It may be obvious, but so many people forget how valuable lists can be as a time management aid. Taking a small amount of time to develop an activity list or a simple plan for a day, week, or month can save you time in the long run. Indeed, developing this list is the first step in planning, and self-help guru Brian Tracy said, "Every minute you spend in planning saves 10 minutes in execution; this gives you a 1000 percent Return on Energy!"

The to-do list

Many years ago, I worked with a very methodical person. He was very detail-oriented and meticulously crossed off items on a checklist as he completed them. I argued with him about the value of memory over physical lists. He had a very simple answer: paper remembers what the mind could forget. Today, many years after this incident, I see the wisdom of his answer. We have limited capabilities for keeping track of many things simultaneously. We are subject to distractions. Memory is not infallible.

An activity list is either a...